Apps and Widgets - Pomodoro Timer

On the recommendation of a friend of mine I decided to download a Pomodoro app for my phone to help with my study focus.

 

The idea behind Pomodoro (which I believe means Tomato in Italian…) is that an optimum block of time to study in one go is 25 minutes, followed by a 5 minute break (described in a bit more detail here https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pomodoro_Technique).  A Pomodoro app allows you to set the timer going and pootle off and do your study for 25 minutes; when this “study” block is over an alarm will sound and will suggest you start a 5 minute “break” (also timed) or to stop.

 

For me the most beneficial thing about this type of app is psychological – rather than overwhelming my brain by thinking “oh goodness, I have 2 whole hours of study to get done this morning” I’m now more likely to approach it with the attitude that I’ll sit down to study for 25 minutes, after which I’ll have a five minute break. Study. Break. Repeat (x4)

 

What I found out last year is that my brain also works better under pressure (I’ll post about this one following the first TMA of this module, I’m sure!).  Knowing that I have a set time in order to do something seems to inspire me to think about what I want to achieve in each study section – so who knows, I might even use this technique when actually writing my TMAs too!

 

If you’re like me and the temptation to nip quickly onto social media is quite strong – ClearFocus: Pomodoro Timer (the app I use on my smartphone) allows me to turn off wi-fi/4G during the 25 minute “study” time, however if you do need your phone to access your module website or any online resources you can toggle this option off and on.

Have you come across any tips or tricks to help your focus and concentration?

Fay.

Apps and Widgets - Google!

Well module one of my degree (Year 0.5 as I affectionately like to call it) is now well and truly over, and what do you know?  It’s October already and beginning of Year 1.0!

The one thing I realised last year, is that I really need to work on my organisation skills – so in order to do this (and no, this blog is not sponsored) I have been making use of Google’s OU Apps for e-mails and calendar on the OU website and on my smartphone.  This is so far proving extremely valuable for a number of reasons:

1/ E-mail – using a separate e-mail has allowed me to sort my ‘Real Life’ from my ‘Study Life’ – my phone allows me to show my University e-mail inbox separately from my personal one, ensuring that important university communications aren't lost in the sheer volume of e-mails that enter my hideously unkempt personal inbox! 

2/ Calendar – Having a Google university e-mail address is helpful in that you can set up reminder e-mails and/or pop-ups for your phone to keep track of the important things coming up like assignment deadlines and Tutorial Dates.  I already had a personal Gmail calendar before starting OU last year however Google allows you to create any number of calendars for different things that fit within one account…

3/ Widgets – If you've ever used a calendar widget on your phone, you’ll know how awesome they look (see pictures left and below if you've no idea what I mean!). A calendar app such as Calendar+ on your smartphone allows you to create a calendar widget which you can then filter to show the particular calendar you’re interested in, or you can create a separate widget for each calendar to save you time and hassle!

This is just a snapshot to show what you can do with your OU Gmail or Calendar app, and how useful they can be on your smartphone - if you're interested but not sure how they work, feel free to get in touch!

In the meantime, if you have any Apps or Programs you find useful for Uni life then please let me know; I'll be posting a few more bits about the apps I come across as I go!

Fay